Loaded Beer-Braised Beef Short Rib Nachos
Turn basic nachos into mind blowing nachos with wonderfully tender beer-braised beef short ribs. The short ribs can be braised ahead of time. When it's time to eat, just reheat the meat and build your nachos in just minutes. These loaded beer-braised short rib nachos are meaty bliss and the ultimate comfort food.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 lb boneless or bone-in Short Ribs
- 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 4 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 large white or yellow onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves optional
- 4 cups beef stock
- 12 oz dark beer (stout, dark ale, porter)
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 16 oz tortilla chips
Toppings For Nachos (Choose Your Favorite)
- 1 cup queso
- 4 tbsp pickled jalapenos
- 1/2 cup pico de gallo or salsa
- 1/2 cup guacamole
- 1/2 bunch cilantro (rinsed and chopped)
- 1 cup black beans (cooked)
Instructions
- Pat the short ribs dry with a paper towel, season with salt and pepper, set aside.
- Heat a Dutch oven over medium high heat and add oil.
- Brown the short ribs on all sides in the oil then remove from the pot and set aside. Closely watch the meat to not burn it.
- Sauté carrots, celery and onion for 3 minutes. Stir well to get all of the brown bits off of the bottom of the Dutch oven. Add garlic and cook for 30 additional seconds until fragrant. Add tomato paste. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add beef stock, beer and bay leaves to the Dutch oven. Stir well, bring to a boil, then cover.
- Place Dutch oven in a 325°F oven or grill for approximately 3 hours or until ribs are fork tender enough to pull apart easily. This should be approximately 200-205°F when the beef is measured internally with an instant read thermometer.
- Remove the beef short ribs from liquid and set aside in a bowl covered to keep warm.
- Strain solids out of braising liquid and skim fat off the top of the liquid.
- Over medium heat, reduce the liquid on stove until slightly thickened and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pull the beef short rib meat apart and throw away any extra fat on the meat. Spoon some of the braising liquid over the meat to keep it moist. Top the nachos with the beef when you are ready to serve.
- Add any additional toppings you desire to the nachos such as queso, pickled jalapeños pico de gallo, salsa, guacamole, cilantro, or beans.
Notes
You may cook the beef up to 4 days ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator. If cooking ahead of time, cool the braising liquid and the beef then cover and refrigerate. Wait until the day you want to prepare the nachos to reheat the meat and finish.
When you want to reheat the meat, warm the meat through in the braising liquid until hot. Remove the meat from the braising liquid and shred it as if you made it the same day. Spoon some of the braising liquid over the meat to keep it moist then put it on the nachos when assembling.